


ticket to anywhere

by tenwoo



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: M/M, Running Away
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-25
Updated: 2020-11-25
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:41:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27711521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tenwoo/pseuds/tenwoo
Summary: oikawa runs away from home, and iwaizumi goes with him
Relationships: Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru
Kudos: 10





	ticket to anywhere

**Author's Note:**

> reposted cuz of typos. if you read this before sorry :(

Sunset skies spilled through the car windows and with its brush of rays painted everything orange- the coins on the dashboard, the crystal beads that hung from the rearview mirror, Iwaizumi’s skin, radiant under the light. Their eyes fixed on the road ahead as they sat in a bubble of silence, only broken by the hollow sound of the trunk hitting the tires as they drove through the speed bumps.

Tooru’s mind was in a haze -nothing but unfocused shapes and edges that bled into each other. Not unlike when he had his first sip of alcohol.

When they were thirteen, he and Iwaizumi snuck into his parents’ wine cabinet. Tooru could hear the knocking against both their ribcages as they poured a little of each liquor bottle into their cups. “So they won’t notice,” Iwaizumi had said. They took their bizarre concoctions and ran through the dark hallways to Tooru’s bedroom, careful not to spill a drop.

Once they locked the door and settled on the floor, Tooru brought the cup of deep violet liquid up to his lips and caught a whiff of the pungent smell of alcohol. He grimaced. It reeked of his father when he got home after midnight, passed out on the couch, coat and shoes laid haphazard around him.

Tooru held out his cup and offered a reassuring “cheers.” Iwaizumi pinched his nose, hoping to dull the sharp, sickly scent when a hand clutched his forearm.

“Don’t," said Tooru. "We have to drink it like real grown-ups.”

Iwaizumi sighed and nodded before the two boys tipped their heads back and let the alcohol hit their tongues. They held each other’s gazes and tried not to wince as the liquid clawed its way down their throats and dragged a stinging heat that trailed behind it.

“That was the worst thing I’ve ever tasted,” said Tooru. A bubble of laughter escaped Iwaizumi’s lips. His smile was all teeth and reached his eyes, And Tooru couldn’t stop staring. The room started spinning -the walls closed in and the bed disappeared into the background, though he was sure it was there a second ago, and everything dissolved into an abstract muddle around him. Except for Iwaizumi, who stood in front of him, solid and unwavering. 

The same dizziness took over Tooru now.

Like he had just downed a glass of grey tone buildings and autumn trees and hybrid wine and childhood memories. It was making the whole world tilt on its side.

Yet somehow, in his faux drunken haze. Iwaizumi stayed upright. And somehow, Tooru knew he would be there. Like always.

He knew as they drove under orange light. He knew as they scrambled for cups in the dim kitchen past midnight. And he knew last week, as they sat side by side on the track bleachers with mostly hollow cans of Red Bull in their hands.

“I’m going away,” Tooru had said, gazing into the peach and purple wisps overhead.

“Where?” asked Iwaizumi. He crushed the can after squeezing the last few drops of Red Bull into his mouth.

“Somewhere up north, maybe.”

The planes of Iwaizumi’s shoulders stiffened, as if his next few words needed to be said with caution. “When are you coming back?”

Tooru blew air into his empty can. It was an unbreakable habit, one that withstood even his mother’s relentless chiding. The hollow whistle vaguely reminded him of ocean waves and conch shells cupped to his ear.

Along with the seaside sounds, the word ‘never’ hung in the air, even as nobody said it.

The joke was ancient. Tooru developed a kind of reflex for it. Every bump in the road, every mild inconvenience, he’d laugh it off and say, “Let’s just run away, Iwa-chan.”

And Iwaizumi would chuckle and brush off his antics, but Tooru figured Iwaizumi noticed that he said it too much -too often that the weight it carried trickled through the spaces. This time, though, all traces of humor turned invisible -non-existent behind the desperate eyes that betrayed his stoic face. This time, he meant it.

“Okay,” said Iwaizumi, his tone resolute. “I’ll go with you.”

And that was that.

Soon, darkness blanketed the streets, enough so that the stark red E on the dashboard gave off a vain glow. The wheels eased to a stop at a deserted gas station more than 80 miles away from home. 50 miles further should be good enough. Then, they could find a cheap place to stay for the night before hitting the road again the next day. There was no telling where they were heading -they’d probably drive as far as they could, drive until the tires wore out, or until Tooru’s heart had doused itself in enough wonder and distance and release that all it felt was light, and freedom.

And when they stop, they could rent out a small apartment. Look for jobs in the city waiting tables or bagging groceries, anything they could find. They could worry about moving up later.

It wasn’t going to be easy. It was a distant cry from the fine life of glamour meticulously planned out for him back home. But at least it was his. Tooru grit his teeth as he saw the steep and tangled path that lay ahead of them. Yet somehow, again, he knew it would get better.

“I want to go to the beach,” said Iwaizumi as he rounded to front of the car after loading it up with fuel. The hood shook under Tooru where he sat a few inches away from him.

“In December?” asked Tooru who donned a puzzled look. “Why?”

“’Cause we can,” said Iwaizumi. The corner of his lips turned up as his eyes that sparkled with mischief and fear met Tooru’s. The adamant tug in his chest is the one thing from which Tooru can’t run away, so instead he pressed his knuckles to his heart and willed it to leave. It didn’t, and just like Iwaizumi, it probably never will. The feeling wasn’t new. It bubbled up a handful of times before- few and far between, and each time, he never let it rise to the surface. But that’s okay. One of these days, he can let it rise and soar and swallow him whole. One of these days, but not quite right now. Because Iwaizumi was there beside him, and he will be tomorrow, too.

And they had all the time in the world.

**Author's Note:**

> inspired by the song fast car by tracy chapman  
> 


End file.
